New Beginnings
by xxxWhySoSiriusxxx
Summary: When Hermione Granger has to chose between the Magical and Muggle world, her father kicks her out and she is on her own till her professor finds her on the sidewalk. All the sudden Hermione Granger becomes Hermione Snape and the world will never be the same. NOTE: first couple of chapters do not include Twilight references until later in the story GRYFFINDOR BASHING HGxEdC
1. Chapter 1

**New Beginnings**

 _ **Summer of Hermione's 3**_ _ **rd**_ _ **year**_

Dishes fell to the floor shattering, doors slammed shoot shaking the whole house and Hermione walked down the stairs and out the door. She had never felt more scared in her life, and all she could think off was " _how had it come to this, had mum's death really caused all this violence?"_ She went home for summer break after her third year at Hogwarts, feeling alive. She had saved an innocent man from a fate worse than death, a Dementor's Kiss. Having already unpacked her things she sat on her bed with Crookshanks and started to talk. Over the last year she began to think he was smarted than he looked. She talked about first year and her adventures with the boys and trolls, three-headed dogs, and evil wizards living on the back of a teacher's head. Second year was hard to explain, because of being petrified caused her to have many gaps in the school year where she just laid on a bed. Third year was the most difficult by far, she had taken the most classes possible, lost one of her friends over a murderous rat, punch a boy in the face, and time traveled to save a man and a hippogriff. Crookshanks tilted his abnormally fluffy head to one side and made a scared noise. Jumping off the bed he ran under it and started to hiss.

"Crookshanks what's wrong?" She asked as she got down on her hands and knees to peer under the bed. Someone behind her cleared their throat and startled Hermione out of her confusion. Standing at her bedroom door, her father flexed his fist and breathed through his nose with angry puffs.

"Daddy, are you okay?" His face slowly became contorted in rage and reached a shade of red that could only be described as Weasley red.

"What really happened to you during Hogwarts," he asked, "because from what I just heard, everything you said to me and wrote to me during your time at that bloody school was a lie." His voice started out at an angry calm but soon reached screaming at the end of the sentence.

"Why, didn't you tell me the truth, why did you lie? You know I hate lying. Your mother did too, God bless her soul. Yet every year we both lie, you to me, and I to everyone else. Do you know what it feels like to not be able to tell the rest of the family where you go to school or how your grades are? Every year new troubles arise, but I was okay with it, because you were learning how to control your powers and then we could be a normal family. But then I find out not only were you picked on because of your blood status but you were also in mortal peril." He slowly started stalking toward me with an angry glint in his eye. At the end of his speech he had grabbed onto my forearms and was roughly shaking me. My eyes started to water as the pain of his grip started to bruise.

"I am through with the lies and deceit, you decide here and now. The Magically world or ours." He was making her choose between two sides of herself and Hermione didn't know what to do. Apparently though his question came with a time limit, and she had reached it. He pulled his hand back and swung it forward making contact with her right check. Hermione let out a pained whimper as hot tears rolled down her face.

"Answer me, now!" he yelled, "I will not deal with disobedience!" Fear ran through me as I looked at a man I had never meet before, for this human in front of her was no longer her father. Her father had never hit her, and she never thought she would have to worry about it.

"Magic," I whispered "I choose magic." She knew that was the right answer, she couldn't imagine going back to the muggle world when she knew she belonged to the magical one. Suddenly I was shoved backwards and fell to the floor. Looking up a gasped and started shaking with fear. Cold, uncaring eyes stared down at me.

"Fine, but I will make this very clear, if you step out that front door you are never be welcomed back to this house. You will be on your own, and I will not help you with anything." The way Hermione's father said this it seemed like he was trying to call her bluff. She stared at his eyes, slowly got to her feet and silently walked around him. Grabbing her wand she cast diminuendo, and shrunk everything she wanted and started packing. Grabbing her money she had saved up, from her dresser she stuffed it in her bag. Grabbing her trunk and coat she left her room and went down the stairs. Upon reaching the door she heard her father behind her.

"You'll be back, you will need your father. And when you do come back, we will say goodbye to magic forever." He said with a sick laugh as Hermione slammed the door behind her. Walking down the driveway she stopped at the sight of her ginger cat in the arms of a man.

"I'm so sorry sir, I don't know how my cat got outside. Here let me take him." Hermione said as she walked toward the man, arms outstretched for her bundle of orange not taking her eyes off her feline.

"Miss Granger, could you possibly tell me how this, disastrous puff ball came to be at my back door, screaming bloody murder till I followed it?" A smooth sarcastic drawl flowed into the air as Hermione's eyes finally left her cat a shot to the face of the man in front of her. Her eyes got comically wide as she stared at her potions professor. She was just about to answer when suddenly, Crookshanks left Professor Snape's arms as he gently took her face in his hands.

"Hermione, who did this?" he asked eyes filled with sorrow as he gazed at the hand print shaped bruise on her cheek. Her eyes filled with tears at the serenity and worry in his gaze. She flung her hands around his neck as she clung to him. His arms went around her waist as he spoke in soft soothing tones to calm her down. Hermione told her professor all that had happened since getting let out and rage filled his body as he started to shake with repressed anger. Seeing the fearful look in Hermione's eyes, Severus thought back to the times where that was him hiding from his father. Severus didn't have anyone to look after and care for him, but he was going to make sure Hermione did.

"Hermione, dear, you have to tell me what happened so, I can help you." He stated with an even tone to keep the anger out of his voice, so not to scare the girl. She finally calmed down enough to explain what had happened and Severus knew what he was going to do.

"Hermione, I want you to lead me back to your house." Snape said gently easing her out of his embrace.

"Sir, with all due respect, I really don't want to return to that house." With a shaking stature she looked up at her potions professor with unease.

"Don't you worry my dear, you won't be staying, and I just need to clear the air a bit, before things get too out of control." Severus said as he lightly patted Hermione's head and grabbed her hand and trunk, as she began to walk back the way she came.


	2. Chapter 2

**New Beginnings**

 _ **Summer of Hermione's 3rd year**_

The walk back to her house, had Hermione shaking. The only thing keeping Hermione from running to the hills was the constant warmth of Snape's hand in hers. Hermione found herself looking up at him out of curiosity. Why was he being so kind and helpful? Was this really the same man people call the greasy bat of the dungeon? Shaking her head at the horrid nickname she, she stopped at the end of her driveway.

"Hermione, I know you're scared but I'm not going to leave you. You are safe with me." Crouching down to be at eye level with her, Snape spoke in soothing tones ones she never dreamed of hearing. Hermione surged forward and held on to the professor, he lifted her up and carried Hermione on his hip. She may have been thirteen but she needed a father, and hers gave her up.

Just as she was starting to calm down, a door was shoved open and slammed shut.

"Hermione Jean Granger! You get off that man now!" Mr. Granger yelled and fumed when Hermione didn't move. "Hermione, NOW, listen to your father!" Severus's head snapped up to glare at the man screaming in his lawn, and stalked towards the coward.

"Except that title doesn't suit you anymore. You lost the right to call this genius girl your daughter when you kicked her out. She is no longer yours, I will be taking her and, I would like to see you try and stop me." His voice had dropped three octaves and twenty degrees, making it much more frightening than the old man shouting at the top of his lungs. Seeing the man go pale under his gaze caused the left side of his mouth to curve up in a sadistic smirk.

"Dobby." A small pop sounded as a house elf dressed in one mustard yellow sock and one Christmas sock.

"Misters Snape called for Dobby." The tiny creature said staring with big doe eyes at the potion master.

"Yes, I need you to get everything from in that house that belongs to or is rightfully Hermione's and bring it to my house. We will be there waiting for you." Dobby nodded at his orders and popped into the Granger residence, while Snape smiled down at Hermione again and apparated away to his home, not sparing a glance at the ginger cat walking down the street.

When Hermione opened her eyes, shock rang through her. She was in Professor Snape's house, the bat of the dungeon, and it looked nothing like she thought it would. Instead of the blacks he always wore, the house was done in tasteful greens and tans. An enormous smile broke across her face as she spied the multiple bookshelves around the room, all overflowing with reading material. Hermione instantly felt at home surrounded by the calm colors and scent of old literature.

"Hermione, are you okay? I'm sorry I just took you from your house, I didn't even ask if she wanted to come." Severus had started out talking to the girl, but by the end of the sentence he was berating himself. Hermione smiled at his actions and walked towards the man and gave him a hug.

"You saved me, so please don't feel bad. I'm thanking you for getting me out of that house. I don't think I could have survived all summer with that man." She said this so honestly, it shocked Snape. Not only was she talking about the man that raised her for fourteen years like he was nothing, she also willingly made physical contact with him. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer.

 _So this is what it's like to have a daughter, I like it._

"Hermione, you can stay here for as long as you like, just let me show you where you will be sleeping." He released his arms, grabbed her trunk and walked up the stairs. Going down the long main hallway, Severus pointed out other rooms, including the library, the dining room, the loo, and his bedroom. The last door on the left was where he finally stopped.

"This will be your room." And with a twist of the handle Severus walked in. "We can change it to look like what you would want, just tell me." Severus said in an eager voice. He was excited to have someone to take care of, and look after, especially one as smart as Hermione.

The room was larger than her old one and bathroom combined, and had a large window with a bench stretching across the bottom of it. It would be perfect she could see it now, only a few minor changes needed to be made.

"If you could change the paint to a sky blue and the flooring to a light wood? Then we can go shopping for everything else. Well almost everything. Those two wall on each side of the window seat, could you add built in bookshelves?" Hermione asked with a small blush on her face. Severus knew that was coming, and did all she asked with a small smile on his face.

"Of course," when he was done he thought it was beginning to look like someone actually lived in the room. Hermione walked over to the window and opened in with gusto. The smell of the sea came through and she looked upon the sight of the waves crashing the shore with a dreamy gaze.

"Mr. Snape, where exactly are we?" Hermione asked as she stared out the window. Sunlight streamed over her face as the sun set across the waters.

"We are at my home, I hated Spinner's End growing up, so I bought this place and have lived here since I got out of Hogwarts. Hermione, right now you are looking at the Mediterranean sea." Her head whipped at this piece of knowledge and her whole face lit up with joy, then she turned back toward the beach.

The professor thought the young girl had never looked more at peace, as she did sitting there with the breeze pushing her hair back. The last thought that past Severus's mind was, _this is where she belongs._

Severus woke up to the sound of screams filling the air, he scrambled out of bed and ran into Hermione's newly furbished room, only to see her prone body twisted on the bed, agony and fear written on her face.

"Hermione, baby wake up, it's just a nightmare. Open your gorgeous eyes for me, your safe, I promise." He tried to just talk to her, but when that failed he started to shake her awake. A huge gasp rang out as Hermione's eyes opened and raked across the room. She stared at Severus as tears formed in her eyes. She threw herself at him and clung to him as she cried.

"I was so scared, I was all alone. No one was there to protect me." She chanted other insecurities, as she was gently rocked back and forth.

"You can sleep in my bed with me, till the dreams leave you for good." He told her as he picked her up and carried her small frame into his room. He set her down on the mattress, and tilted her head to look at him

"Hermione, you will never be alone again. You will always have me by your side to protect you. If it agrees with you, tomorrow we can go to the Ministry. I want you to be my daughter, a Snape? Do you accept?" He asked a little worried she would say no. Her eyes once again filled, but he could only hope they were happy tears as she nodded her head yes and snuggled into his embrace, and started to drift into a more peaceful sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**New Beginnings**

 _ **Summer of Hermione's 3rd year**_

Hermione woke slowly, calmly as a soft light fought itself through the curtains. She stretched up, and looked around the room monetarily confused as she took in the unfamiliar room. It finally dawned on her that she was in Severus's room, and that today was the day that she would become a Snape. Energy filled her as she jumped out of bed and got ready for her new life. Running into her room, she grabbed a change of clothes and went to her bathroom. Taking a quick shower she combed through her crazy curls, and brushed her teeth and got dressed. Walking down the stairs she wandered her way to the kitchen, following her nose toward the smell of food.

The sight she was greeted with made her smile. Severus was bent over a book with a bowl of pancake batter. The house elf made bacon and eggs behind him at the stove.

"Good Morning Mr. Snape, how did you sleep?" Hermione asked as she skipped into the room and jumped up on the clean counter. She chuckled at the shocked look she got for surprising him, apparently he didn't think anyone was capable of sneaking up on him.

"I slept well, Hermione. As you can see Twinky is helping me make you breakfast then we will be going to the Ministry. Are you ready?" Severus asked as he poured pancake mix on the skillet. He flipped them over and stacked them on a plate he set on the table. Twinky brought the rest of the food, and summoned glasses, silverware, plates, juice, and other items to the table as well. Severus pulled out a chair for Hermione he sat down and then took his seat. Twinky climbed a small set of steps that led her to a children's highchair, she sat down and the professor waved his wand and the chair scouted in toward the table. Hermione was pleasantly surprised with the respect Twinky was given and with a satisfied smile, began eating breakfast.

Hermione walked through the green blaze of the floo network into the Ministry, home to all "important" people in the wizarding world. Walking forward enough that way Severus wouldn't trip over her coming through, she took in the large rotunda-like room. Paper planes flied above heads, newspaper boys called out headlines, and business men and women hurried to their next destination. Hermione was always happy seeing so much magic in a single place, if made her feel extremely lucking she was a muggle-born.

Severus grabbed her hand, and led her to the International Magical Office of Law, section of the huge building. Her insides were filled with butterflies, she was so nervous. What if Severus had decided that he didn't want a bossy know-it-all as a daughter? What if she was sent back to the Granger house? Hermione hadn't noticed that while the traitorous thoughts filled her mind she had stopped walking, halting Snape as well.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Why did you stop moving?" her professor asked with concern laced in his voice. Hermione raised her gaze to meet his and tears swam in her eyes.

"Are you sure you want me as a daughter. Won't I only bother you?" She continued voicing her concerns until Severus pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Hermione, darling you are exactly what I would want for a daughter. You are mature, studious, caring, and just cunning enough for me to question how you were not sorted into Slytherin. I wouldn't want a girl who only cared about gossip and looks, I would be lost with how to deal with all that pink and glitter." Hermione pulled back enough to see his face, and his hand came up a wiped a rolling tear of her cheek. Drawing in a calming breath she separated herself from Severus, tilted her chin up and began walking again, fears now at bay. Severus knocked on the door that read Department of Magical Guardians and Families, and a smooth 'Come in' rang out from inside.

Turning the knob, he motioned for Hermione to step through the door, closing it behind him. Sitting behind the desk was a woman he recognized the face of from his years at Hogwarts but couldn't match a name, which agitated him. Pushing that thought aside Severus began.

"Good morning, I am Severus Tobias Snape and I would like to formally adopt Hermione Jean Granger." He said it nonchalantly as I waiting for the woman to say something against the request.

"I know who you are Severus, though it seems you have forgotten me. Arabell Raynott, one year below you in school, and Ravenclaw. It is lovely to meet you Hermione. Now about this adoption, I am happy to say it will go much smoother than most, considering Hermione's birth father is no longer her guardian."

Hermione let out a breath, happy that Mr. Granger didn't try and keep her out of some sick, twisted joke. She didn't know what he had been capable of until recently and to say it shocked her was the understatement of the century.

"To start I need Severus to sign these documents saying that he is adopting you under his free will, and will take care of you or the adoption will be evocated. You have a ministry official coming to your house to evaluate how Hermione is being treated and handling the new life. Hermione, dear I need you to sign these papers saying you except Severus as your parental and magical guardian. After that we just have a few spells to take care of, file away the paper work and you will be good to go home.

Repeat after me _, ut duo, sicut uni quondam familiaris donantur. (may two become one, as people once alone are gifted a family.)"_ With a small help from a dialect spell Hermione and Severus were able to repeat the Latin fluently. Gold and silver rings shot out of Arabell's wand and circled the new family, wrapping around their wrists a small intricate design drew itself onto their forearms. Hermione smiled at hers, as Severus looked down at his and shocked and an unimaginable amount of happiness filled him. His dark mark was gone, had disappeared completely from his body. Tears fell down his cheeks as he dropped to his knees and encircled Hermione's small frame. It took Hermione a minute to make out what he was saying.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." He just kept saying it over and over again. She had just destroyed a huge problem in his life by simply becoming his child. He decided he would make sure to Hermione got everything she would ever want, because he got the only thing he wanted, his freedom.

Arabell whipped the tears from her checks and gave off a bright smile.

"There is only one thing left that I thought you might want to do. There is a spell, that if you too cast it with a small amount of sharing blood, your DNA would change to match as if Hermione were your daughter by birth. However this may alter your appearances a slight bit, to make you look similar to each other. This ritual is entirely up to you two, just let me know what you decide." She said as she gave the new family some space and walked back to her desk.

Severus looked down at his daughter with a question in his eyes.

"Hermione, this is up to you, though I will warn you, it would be most unfortunate to receive my nose." Severus said with a small quirk to his lips. Hermione just smiled and agreed to the ritual.

"Miss. Arabell, we would appreciate it greatly if you would do the spell." Hermione spoke to the woman with respect as she wondered what she would look like.

Arabell grabbed a bowl set it on her desk and grabbed a small knife form her desk drawer.

"Please hold out your right hands above the basin. She pressed lightly into both palms and let the blood pool and mix at the bottom. She spoke quickly and in a language that Hermione did not understand, but she could guess it was the spell and that she and Severus weren't permitted to hear it.

Hermione let out a gasp as the world became fuzzy and she had to sit down, she looked to her right and saw a similar thing occurring to her father. She let herself smile at the term as she took deep breaths in hope that it would help her battle the wave of dizziness.

"You both should be good now to stand and look at each other and the mirror." Arabell told them as she conjured a large floor to ceiling mirror.

Severus and Hermione turned to the glass, and two very different pitched gasps could be heard. The first change Severus saw first was one, he accepted with open arms. Instead of Hermione getting his nose, he got a more masculine version of hers. With his nose out of the way Severus looked at the rest of his changes. His lanky, greasy hair had taken on some (thank Merlin not all) of Hermione's body making it look thicker and not oily at all. His eyes had gained a golden ring around the center near his irises, being outlined by his normal black. He only had three changes but was extremely happy with them all. He look handsome, if he did say so himself, which was never something he had classified himself as before. He took in one last look then shifted his eyes to Hermione and smiled. She looked a lot more like him, then before. Now her skin tone had lightened intensely, making her only a few shades darker than him, while her hair took the opposite direction and darkened to the same tint as his, midnight black. The other surprising part about her hair was it was now pin straight, but still had all the volume it did before, it was just much more controlled. Hermione's eyes completely changed to his original color, of breathtaking black. Hermione lifted a hand to touch her hair and face, amazed by what she saw. Her gaze moved and meet Severus's and she smiled.

"Daddy, you look smashing!" She said with enthusiasm.

"As do you my dear." He said in return, then looked to Arabell, "Thank you ma'am for today, me and my daughter will be leaving now. Have a nice day." He offered Hermione his hand and she took it, walking beside him out of the ministry, and into Diagon Alley.

"As my first official act as your father, I will get you one pet." Severus said as he led her to Magical Menagerie. She smiled and opened the door, only to be attacked with what felt like hundreds of different smells all at once.

"Would I be able to get a cat, Father?" Hermione asked using a term father knowing Severus would refuse her anything when she called him that.

"Hermione, love, get whatever you want." He said with a dopey smile watching his daughter peruse the section full of cats, Hermione wanting to find a feline companion since Crooks left. Thinking back on her smush-faced cat, she hoped that he was somewhere that would take care of him. Out of nowhere a dark grey kitten jumped up into her hands, distracting her from her thoughts of orange fur. Severus smiled, knowing the grey hair wouldn't bother him as bad as the bright orange would have. At the end of the day, he and Hermione walked home, with Nimbus and every cat toy it could ever hope to get in its life time.

"Hermione, love, the school year is about to start and there are a few things we have to do before I go back to Hogwarts. For one, we need to get you your supplies, books, and robes for this year as well a new cloth because your others are in horrible condition. We also need to talk to Dumbledore, because now that you are my daughter you will most likely be put in Slytherin." Snape had just finished when Hermione let out of scream, scaring Nimbus who had been in her arms.

"What's wrong, I know we haven't been the nicest before but Slytherins aren't that bad. You will get used to us, I promise." Severus said trying to calm down his daughter who looked to be hyperventilating.

"Dad, I haven't told Harry or the Weasley's anything that has happened to me yet. What if they don't accept the new me, I won't have any friends." Severus grabbed Hermione and pulled her into a hug and gently stroked her back, to sooth her.

"Hermione if they don't except you for who you are, they aren't good friends to begin with." Hermione smiled at the total parent sentence Severus said. The last thing she thought of before she fell asleep in his lap was that,

 _He will be a great father_


	4. Chapter 4

**New Beginnings**

 _ **Summer of Hermione's 3rd year**_

The Snape's walked from store to store retrieving all Hermione's necessary school supplies as well as any teaching supplies that Severus need for the new year. New robes, books, quills, potion ingredients, and red ink were a few of the items weighing their arms down as they headed home.

"Daddy, thank you for today. You didn't have to buy all of this for me though." Hermione said as she laid her purchases out on her bed to be organized and stored accordingly.

"Darling, you have given me everything I have ever wanted since I was 16, in the last ten hours. I have a family to care for and a new start at life free of any masters." Severus said I he looked fondly down at his child.

"Not to mention, Miss Arabell couldn't stop looking at you." Hermione smirked at her father's tinted cheeks.

"That is beside the point, go through all you have received today and anything you kept from your old house and make a list of everything left that you still need. Hogwarts is almost upon us and we can't have you forgetting things like a Longbottom. It would be much harder to send things to you by owl when I am also at the school." Severus said matching her smirk with one of his own. Leaving her to determine the rest of the shopping list he went down into the kitchen to put away the groceries, because Hermione made it clear that one cannot live of crackers and water. Finishing that up he left for the library, to relax and read a book. Sitting down in his black leather wingback chair he opened his book read the first sentences when a weight jumped up on his lap. Looking down at Nimbus he shook his head, he would have to get used to having a pet around the house.

"Dad!" Severus was pulled out of his potions books by the sound of his daughter calling for him. He slowly got up hoping to carefully lay the kitten back in the seat with upsetting him too much. It wouldn't do well for him to try and brew potions with scratches all over his hands. Meeting Hermione half way up the stairs, she handed him a parchment.

"What is this?" He asked slightly confused, until he read the title. _Shopping list._ Of course, he had asked for it, he just forgot while reading about different ways to prepare flobberworms. Reading through it his cheeks reddened. It appeared that Hermione needed to go on a shopping spree to get all her required items of clothing, and Severus didn't even know where to begin.

"I know this is a lot, I'm sorry, but it seems that I have had a growth spurt and all of my clothes are too short." Hermione said as she looked down at her feet and chewed on her lip. She didn't like that she hadn't even been Severus's daughter for a whole week and she was already spending his money. She didn't want him to think her shallow, but she really did need clothes that fit.

"Darling, this is not your fault, you cannot choose when to grow. However much it pains me to admit this, I am utterly clueless as to what you will truly need. So it seems I will have to call in for backup." Severus said while holding his daughter's cheek in a fatherly manner. He slowly let go of Hermione and walked toward the fireplace.

"I'm going to fire call Arabell, and see if she is free to take you shopping later after we set up your vault in Gringotts. Grab some powder floo to get to Diagon Alley again, we can walk to the bank from there." He watched her grab to powder and step into the fire place. With an exactness to each word Hermione was gone in green flame, Severus flowing behind her.

Walking down to cobbled road again, Severus took his daughter to the bank and waited for the goblin at the counter to acknowledge him, knowing that if he interrupted the goblin mid count it would just anger the creature. A small _hem_ could be heard when the goblin pushed the gold aside while clearing his throat.

"May your gold be overflow and your enemies cower below your weapon." Hermione said stepping up to the counter a regarding the goblin with a pleasant smile. Severus just stared at her, as the goblin raised a single eyebrow before responding.

"And may your vaults never empty." The goblin said in the serenest tone Severus had ever heard a goblin take. "My name is Blordak, and I am in charge of helping new clients open accounts and show them to their new vault. I assume I can be of so help today. May I have your name, young miss?"

"My name is Hermione Jean Snape, and I would like to open an account."

"But of course, Miss Snape, may I talk to your father?" Blordak watched as the young girl nodded her head and went and sat on the bench directly across from his station. Turn to the dark man he began to explain all that needed to be done. After the initial creation of Hermione's vault was done, Severus had taken some of his money from the Prince vault and had it transferred to his daughter's vault.

"Here is your key, darling and a small coin purse that will withdraw money from your vault every month for your allowance. Now we only have one thing left to do here." Severus said looking down to his daughter's curious gaze.

"You need a family heirloom." Severus walked her to the cart following the small goblin and helped her into her seat.

"Know I am going to warn you, this cart is similar to a muggle rollercoaster." Severus said with a small smile, "You will be jerked around a bit." Hermione nodded her head and grabbed hold of her father's arm. She may have screamed a small bit, but Severus wouldn't tell anyone

"Vault number 394, the key please" Severus handed over the key and watched as the vault slid open and Hermione's eyes lit with happiness. Even outside the vault the shelves of books were visible.

"Okay, Hermione, we are here to get you a piece of jewelry, not a library." Severus chuckled as he watched his daughter's shoulders drop, and her body slowly turn away from the books, as if it were slightly painful to do so.

"I don't see why I can't have one book." Hermione said under her breath, not quite soft enough for the smirking slytherin not to hear her. She browsed through the different jewels, trying to determine that kind of adornment would suit her best.

"Daddy, what do you think I should get? A necklace, bracelet, or ring?" Snape watched those midnight eyes so close to his own, turn to look at him. A pride filled him knowing that someone wanted his advice, and opinion.

"If we are being completely logical, a ring would be a horrid decision darling, you would get ink all of it, much like you do your fingers." Severus said with an amused lilt to his voice.

"A bracelet would get caught on your bag when you go to grab anything out of it. Both also could fall off and end up in a potion, causing unforeseen complications. I would try to find a necklace, as I believe it is the safest choice." He finished his speech and handed his daughter a medium sized jewelry box. When Hermione opened it, she was amazed by all the different colors the stones were in.

Hermione set the chest down on a table and one at a time pulled out the different pieces, in hopes that she would find one she like more than any other. She was starting to doubt she would ever find one, as she pulled one of the last necklaces out she looked at the bottom of the box and smiled. She had found it.

"Dad, I picked my necklace." Hermione turned toward her father and showed him a thin piece of silk with a dainty charm hanging from the center. On closer inspection he realized that the charm was the Prince family crest. He smiled and grabbed the necklace from her.

"Turn around and lift up your hair, let me put in on you." Clasping the two ends together, the pendant rested right on the hollow of Hermione's neck, in a choker fashion. Severus found a nearby hand mirror and showed her the finished look.

"It looks wonderful, darling." He said, looking down toward his daughter, as she beamed up at him.

"I knew it would daddy."

"Of course you did, my little know-it-all." He smiled as she stuck her tongue out at the all too familiar nickname he had gifted her long before he was her father.

"Now all we need to do is grab Miss Arabell, and then we can go get new clothes."

"We will get you new clothes." Severus said because he felt the need to clarify. Hermione eyed him and laughed.

"Daddy, you're not using your brain if you think I'm not going to find a way to get you in more colors then black." Smirk embellishing her face, humor alight in her dark eyes.

It only took one look at Severus's pleading face to get Arabell to agree to help them shop. She was surprised though when the Snape family led her out of Diagon Alley and into muggle London. When she commented on it Hermione's answer was short and sweet.

"I want to remember where I came from."

Hermione had only gone shopping twice in her life, and both times her fashion sense consisted of jeans and jumpers. Hermione dragged her dad and Arabell into numerous stores, many she had never been in, in hopes to find a style all her own. They ended up in Forever 21, which Severus laughed at and said she was far from 21, but allowed them to pull him in the store and to the chair.

"Your job is very simple," Arabell smiled, "You need to sit in this chair and wait for you daughter to step through the door." he watched as the two females walked off and found clothes for Hermione to try on. It was much harder for him to keep track of either girl as they slipped in between clothing racks. Eventually he stopped trying and leaned his head back on the chair, closed his eyes and waited. He looked up when he felt someone sit beside him, Arabell smiled at him and motioned for him to sit up.

"Here is the really question," She said to Snape, "are you prepared for this?" She asked with a seriousness that made him stop his first reaction that was to laugh.

"Why wouldn't I be ready? It's not hard to shop." He said as if talking to a young child. It was Arabell's turn to laugh at the new father's obvious cluelessness.

"You're right it isn't hard to shop but I'm going to ask you another question. Have you ever shopped with or for a girl? Especially one as close to your heart as Hermione is?" She raised an eyebrow at the man.

"I, personally, cannot wait to see how you will react when this little girl steps out of the door with a look in her eyes that means, 'Does this make me look pretty?' with just the slightest smile on her face." Arabell finished her sentence, smirked at the now confused man, and sat back in the chair and waited for the show.

"Daddy, what do you think?"

 **Hello readers! I apologize for the very long wait for this chapter. This past year has been very hard on my family (we are doing better now), not to mention that I am now a High School GRADUATE! I promise to be more regular with my updates with all my stories!**

 **With much love,**

 **WhySoSirius**


	5. Chapter 5

**New Beginnings**

 _ **Summer of Hermione's 3rd year**_

Severus looked up to the sound of his daughter calling him, and couldn't respond. Hermione stood before him in black dress with a small white collar, smiling at him hopefully. _Daddy, what do you think?_ He held in his snort as he remembered what she had asked. He was going to have to teach her better defense spells, because his daughter was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. How was he supposed to protect her if he had to teach classes?

"Little one, I have never seen anyone look better." He said looking at his little girl with a soft smile, most had never seen before. He watched her whole face brighten under his complement.

"Go find something else to show me, I'm not going anywhere." With another smile, he watched Hermione disappear behind the dressing room door and waited for the next outfit.

"I told you so," Arabell said with a sly look towards the new father. She had seen his face when Hermione walked out, and the complete adoration and love that showed there astounded her. Was this really the same man who stalked the dungeons and sneered at every living being around him.

"Yes, you told me so, now please can we sit here in peace while we wait for my daughter to show us the next outfit." Arabell tried to stop the small laugh that came out when she saw that he was trying to glare at her but struggled to not show his happiness for his daughter.

"Of course, peace will be necessary, because I have a feeling we will be here for a while." Arabell watched Snape sink lower into the chair. With his ankles crossed in front of him and his hands resting on his lap, he radiated comfort yet still held a sense of elegance many would beg for.

"I would relax Miss Raynott, you said it yourself, we won't be moving for some time." Snape drawled as he closed his eyes and tipped his head back to wait.

"Do you realize that out of all the clothes you bought today, easily half of them were in Slytherin colors or black?" Severus asked as he looked down at his daughter in one of the new outfits he had got her. Wearing a dark green lace long sleeve shirt that flared out at her wrists and a black dress with thick straps and silver buttons down the front, she had never looked more like a Snape than now.

"I have always liked the color black, and darker colors look better on me with new skin tone and hair color. At least that is what Miss Arabell said when she helped me with picking out my wardrobe." Hermione smiled at the thought of the nice lady, who tried to steal looks at her father when she thought no one was looking.

Now father and daughter were once again in their Mediterranean house, and Hermione was packing her clothes for school. She had to get everything to fit into her trunk, and she didn't know if she would be able to.

Just as Hermione had begun to sort through the outfits she would be able to bring and the ones she would have to leave at her house, her father cleared his throat and pulled a small rectangle out of his pocket and handed it to her. She locked down and saw that in her hand was a wooden trunk suitable for a Barbie doll.

"Place it on the floor," Snape said and with a flick on his wand, the chest grew to the size of her current one. "I got you this new chest because I knew your old one would be too small for all your new things. This one also has your correct name on it." He smiled as he looked down at the plaque that read H.E. Snape. Hermione launched herself at her father and seemed to attempt to hug the life out of him.

Hermione was so happy, she had a family that loved her. She felt like the world had finally been taken off her shoulders. Since her mom had died nothing had been right. Her biological father couldn't handle the loss of his love and was never the same. Hermione had stopped coming home during breaks to avoid spending time with him. Now she wouldn't have to ever leave. Her dad was at Hogwarts with her, he could protect her, and understand her a way her originally family was never able to.

Hermione stood in the entryway with her trunk on the ground and Nimbus in her arms while she waited for her dad to finish closing the house. Today was September 1st and Hermione had never been more excited to be on her way to Hogwarts. She didn't know why but all morning this she had been having this feeling of excitement.

"All the windows are closed and the back doors are locked. Now all that we need to do is grab our things, lock the front door and make our way to King's Cross." Severus said coming up behind Hermione already in his long black teaching robes.

"Already ready to scare all the new students into submission?" She asked as a smirk bloomed on his features. He looked down at her dressed in the first outfit she had tried on and tall black boots.

"Of course my dear, I also have to scare away all the boys that will try to get too close to my beautiful daughter." At this thought Hermione hid a laugh and blushed a pretty pink, not quite uses to compliments yet. If her father thought he would have time to beat away boys from her, he had another thing coming. She was excited to see how her classmates her age and older reacted to her dad's new looks.

After apparating to a safe place near the train station, the Snape family began their trek toward Platform 9¾. Ignoring the muggles around them the move toward the brick wall between platforms 9 and 10, and run towards it coming out on the other side.

The Hogwarts Express seamed even more red than Hermione remembered, as the sunlight bounced off it. Hermione followed her father through the crowds of people and on to the train. She walked behind him, smiling as she took in the familiar feel of the train and the roar of laughter from the students returning and new.

"It almost feels like nothing has changed." This drew Severus's attention to her gentle smile. He swore he would do everything in his power to protect that smile.

"Come with me, I think for now you should sit in the teacher's compartment so we can explain everything that happened to my colleges. We might even be able to get Albus to make an announcement during the opening Feast." Severus hoped he would at least, because he did not want Hermione to have to retell her tale to every dunderhead who couldn't keep up.

Sliding open the door, Severus took his daughter's trunk and but it on the shelf to get it out of the way. He walked to the back of the compartment and Hermione couldn't help but look at how different it was compared to where she had normally sat on the train. Instead of the individual rooms she was used to, this room offered very little privacy with its open areas and padded benches facing the tables in the room.

"Dad, why does the room look like this?" Hermione asked as she watched him sit down in the corner farthest from the door. She noticed that the only way into the cart was the door her father was facing and then it hit her. He chose to sit in the one seat that gave him view over the whole area. His spy was showing, Hermione thought with a smile.

"This is what the Slytherin compartment looks like, it is very conducive for group conversations, and keeping everyone out of trouble. Doors can't be locked this way; curtains can't be drawn and no one can get in trouble." Severus continued to explain to her how the open area is better than individual rooms, but her attention was split as she watched her professors enter the room and take their seat.

There weren't many, she assumed many were still at Hogwarts waiting for the student's, but some teachers had to be on the train to watch over the students. Hermione smiled when she watched the headmaster walk in with Professor Flitwick following behind him. Her charm's teacher didn't see her, but Dumbledore did. He looked on her sitting next to the sour potions professor with confusion in his eyes, and began to close the gap between them.

"Severus, my boy," Hermione felt her father tense when Dumbledore said that, "where have you been? You haven't been to the last couple of meeting, and I had begun to worry about your health." Hermione thought this was odd and couldn't help but comment.

"I'm sorry sir, I mean no disrespect but if you had truly been worried, why did you not try to contact him?" Hermione asked with one eyebrow raised above the other in disbelief. Severus held back a snort at her spunk but felt his heart soar with love at his daughter protecting him.

"Well, my dear-" Dumbledore began but was quickly cut off by the small girl in black and green sitting next to one of his teachers.

"To begin with, you do not know me, so to call me 'my dear' is slightly forward, don't you think?" Hermione said with a nod of her head as if she were giving him the correct answer to say. "Secondly, if you are Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, greatest wizarding school in Europe, one would think you would know how to work the floo, or use an owl."

Severus smirked at his daughter who was staring down the only man in the world that Voldemort feared. He would have his hands full with this one.

"I meant no offences young lady," Albus said as he tried not to lose his temper to a girl who looked no more than 15 years old. "However, I am not in possession of Severus's address so I was unable to do either of those options." A smile spread when he put the girl in her place.

"Are you incapable of producing a Patronus charm, sir? I'm sure _Mr. Snape_ , here could show you how to accomplish it. I don't believe it is too terribly difficult to learn considering Mr. Potter learned it last year with Mr. Lupin."

Severus couldn't hold it in any longer, a loud laugh rose from his chest. Watching his daughter slowly cause the amazing Albus Dumbledore to lose his mind was glorious to see. Across the room, small chuckles came from the charm's professor as he walked towards the now seething Headmaster.

"Sorry to interrupt, but if you don't mind me asking, who are you exactly Miss?" Filius asked the spunky young lady.

"Oh, Mr. Flitwick, how lovely to see you again. How have you been this past summer?" Hermione asked eyes lighting up at the thought of being in his class and being able to learn something new.

"My colleague, this is my daughter, Hermione Eileen Snape. I adopted her over the summer after a situation came to light in my presence." Snape said in his usual dull tone, but Filius caught the subtle tonal change when he said his daughters name.

"Hermione, as in Miss Hermione Granger. Severus, my boy, what were you thinking! Her father must be worried sick. I'm afraid I must escort you to the Ministry to have this sham nullified and Miss Hermione given back to her real family."

Dumbledore reached for Hermione's arm but contact was never made due to the fact that Severus had pushed his daughter behind his back, keeping her out of reach from the old man. The potion's master stood ramrod straight in front of his employer, not backing down.

"Hermione is with her real family." Snape said scowling at the man who used to be his master. "The ministry official in the Department of Magical Guardians and Families performed the ritual and signed the paperwork stating that legally we are family now."

Snape shrunk his daughter's trunk, put it in his pocket and grabbed her hand to lead her out of the compartment towards the Slytherin part of the train. He was their head of house after all, it couldn't hurt to check.

Just before he let the door shut with a slam, the occupants of the teacher's car heard Severus speak in a soft but menacing tone.

"And you will not take my daughter away from me."


End file.
